NPHET will meet this morning to consider recommending more restrictions, due to high Covid case numbers and the worrying new variant.
The first Omicron case was confirmed here yesterday, while the five-day moving average of coronavirus infections is nearly 4,500.
But Tánaiste Leo Varadkar told his parliamentary party last night he's not convinced new restrictions are needed.
Leo Varadkar confirms this to his parliamentary party this evening.
Says he’s “skeptical” imposing new restrictions would be warranted at the moment https://t.co/L5kVtiJXj9
— Seán Defoe (@SeanDefoe) December 1, 2021
The government has already introduced some measures due to the new variant, including home quarantine from seven southern African countries.
But Dr David Nabarro, from the World Health Organisation, says he doesn't imagine that it will be enough to stop the new strain from becoming a dominant variant in Ireland if it wants to;
"Because if this virus it's going to spread, particularly if it's got some advantages like it transmits more easily or it can evade the protection that we have from the vaccines that are being used at the moment, if it has these advantages I tell you this variant will become dominant."
Mandatory Hotel Quarantine
Meanwhile the Dáil will debate laws to bring back mandatory hotel quarantine this morning.
The measure was ended in September but the government wants to bring the legislation back due to the Omicron variant.
The rules will be similar to last time with people required to enter hotel quarantine, which they can leave with a negative PCR test after ten days.
